Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans – that honour belongs to DC comics and WB.

A Small Request

The tall, hulking man stood in front of the Church and looked up to the top of the spire, enjoying the feeling of being so small for a brief moment. He had recently come to the conclusion that it was a good idea to regularly remind yourself that there were things happening elsewhere that were beyond your comprehension.

There are more things in heaven and earth…

The man enjoyed the feeling of the rain on his face. He had decided not to wear his mask, simply opting for an eye patch. He doubted that Robin or the others, if they even saw him, would recognise him. Not that he cared. He could easily evade them. He didn't want to fight them; not yet, anyway. Besides, he had recently heard that they had become occupied with other business. All the better. It gave him a chance to plan, to prepare.

He looked at the building in front of him and considered the irony of coming here after all that he had done. Especially after he had made a deal with the devil. Though he called himself Trigon, to Slade Wilson he was, for all intents and purposes, the devil, Satan, Beelzebub, or whatever you wanted to call him.

A rose by any other name…

Irony was his favourite type of humour. He was not one to be known for having a sense of humour, but irony could occasionally squeeze a chuckle or two out of him. He had worked with the devil himself, had resided in hell, and had helped bring about the apocalypse. And here he was, a few weeks after the whole debacle, stood in front of a church. Steadying himself, he walked forward, heading into the church.

As he entered, he noticed that there weren't many people in the church. All the better for him; he didn't want anyone staring at him as he did this. This was humiliating and degrading enough. He reminded himself that he should probably watch what he was thinking. Though at this point, it probably made little difference what he said, did or thought. He was pretty much assured a place down below, so why bother to try and be chummy with the man upstairs?

Because you need him, Slade reminded himself, and sat down on one of the benches near the back. He wanted to be able to leave quickly if too many people came in. He took a deep breath, taking in the humbling atmosphere of the Jump City Church. Though he loathed admitting it, he felt slightly more at peace here. Though he could never bring himself to forgive God. After all, what kind of benevolent God would have allowed those experiments to be performed on him? Would have allowed his entire family to be ripped apart?

He blew out a deep breath.

You're not helping your cause. Just do it and leave, quickly.

Slade cleared his throat quietly.

I suppose I've got little right to be here, he thought, keeping his head bowed, but not to the point where he couldn't keep an eye on the people in the church.

In your eyes, I suppose you think I'm beyond redemption. Well, I'm not one to argue with a deity. I'm not here to beg for your forgiveness. I couldn't care less whether you think that I'm a good person or not. I have other, more important things to think about, rather than what's going to happen to me after I die. Perhaps recent events have made me less concerned about death.

But then again, I suppose it never really bothered me to begin with, considering that I could heal almost any wound. Thank you for that, by the way. For the tortuous experiments. For the pain you've caused me and my family. But…

That's not why I'm here. I'm not here to blame you for the pain I've felt; there would be little point. That would be like Terra blaming me for what happened to her. Oh, incidentally, if you're there… hello, Terra. How is it up there? I'm sure he let you in, since you were always so sweet and innocent. I suppose you fed him those same lies you gave the Titans; that you were manipulated by me, that it wasn't your fault. Do-gooders are all the same, aren't they, God? Always ready to believe and trust, no matter how many times they've been betrayed. You may call that being good, but I call that being foolish.

It's probably what makes them all the more likely to get into your little good people club in the clouds; they're too stupid and trusting to question you. Well, perhaps except Robin, but I'm sure the other Titans will have rid him of that by the time he gets to you. Especially that Tamaranian girl, Starfire. I wonder if you're going to do the same to her as you did to my wife. Or will you wait until he has children, and then destroy his spirit? I wonder if I will still be around for that.

Of course I will. Because, say what you like about God, but he has a sense of humour. And you will keep me around just to keep on losing to the Titans. Not that I'll stop trying, mind you. In fact, it's one of the things that working with Trigon has taught me; to keep a sense of humour. Because otherwise, you'll go insane. I have to admit, I almost did, being made of bone, having no substance beneath these clothes.

But, that isn't why I'm here. I'm here to ask you for a favour. Yes, that's right. Me, who has earned the right to ask nothing of anybody, going to God himself for a favour. But you see, this isn't about me, as the majority of favours asked of you are. No, this is about my children. You remember them, don't you? The ones that you took from me?

I want you to look out for them. I want you to judge them on their actions, not on mine. But you probably do that, anyway, don't you? Since you are so very perfect.

Make sure that they are safe.

Amen, God. I hate you so very much.

Slade stood and walked out of the Church. He stopped in front of the building, turning back to look at it one last time before heading back to his old headquarters. It was the perfect place to stay, really; the one place that Robin and the Titans wouldn't think of looking. It was only temporary, of course, but that would change soon enough. He turned and walked down the street, ignoring the red R cycle as it sped by him on the road.

Robin skidded to a halt on his R cycle, and quickly turned to look down the street. He could've sworn that he felt something… wrong a few seconds ago. He looked over at the church. He smiled, now sure that it couldn't have been Slade that he saw.

After all, why would Slade want to see God?

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(A/N: A serious, moody thing before we move on to the Christmassy fluff. Oh yes, I said Christmassy fluff. Mistletoe gags abound.

Now, just to answer a few queries:

Artemis 85: I did indeed know about Kid Flash and Raven having a relationship in the comics – it's what pretty much inspired the fic.

Arainia: Ooo, a request. Consider the next fic a BBxStarxRobin Christmas gift from me to you.

If anyone else has any requests, please post 'em in a review. Of course, it's not like I've got a lack of ideas (I've got a Stankball tournament lined up), but I would like to see what you'd like doing.

Thanks for the reviews, just keep 'em coming!)